Many movies are a
reflection of their time: Dr. Strangelove was a biting 1960s anti-nuclear
war satire. Taxi Driver was a 1970s commentary on urban loneliness. Now
as America grapples with rising, politically inspired unrest, it’s more than a
bit sad that the movie for OUR time may well be The Forever Purge.
This half a billion-dollar
franchise started out in 2013 as a humble $3M action/thriller starring Ethan Hawke.Expectations were modest at best… Instead,
the film’s main theme – allowing society to “let off steam†with one night
where all crime is allowed - touched a nerve, grossing almost $90M and
installments (and profits) soon followed.
This latest sequel,
directed by Everardo Gout and written by series creator, James DeMonaco,
cannily picks up on today’s social and political vibes - a humble Mexican
couple, Juan and Adela, sneak into the U.S. in search of a better life, ready
to work hard to achieve that iconic American dream. Juan winds up toiling as a ranch hand for a
wealthy Texas family whose mercurial son (Josh Lucas) makes it clear he doesn’t
want Mexicans around.On Purge Night, as
the owners hunker down in luxury to ride the things out; the ranch hands and their
families take refuge in a barricaded warehouse.All emerge the next morning to discover the terrifying truth – the Purge
genie ain’t going back in the bottle.Paramilitary groups have decided to rid America of all “othersâ€, with NO
time limit.From coast to coast,
violence explodes. In a clever reverse, Mexico and Canada now offer U.S.
citizens asylum, so the wealthy ranch owners must rely on their Mexican workers
to guide them to safety.
Tenoch Huerta turns in a
solid performance as Juan, the Mexican immigrant gamely trying to fit in. Ana
de la Reguera (so good in Netflix’s Army of the Dead) really shines as
Adela, whose quiet demeanor masks a fearsome warrior.Veteran character actor Will Patton has a
brief, but impactful role as the Texas family patriarch, surprised at how his
country has changed. In one telling scene, a hulking skinhead being transported
to jail through the Purge Night mayhem, happily rattles off a multitude of gun
types based on the bullet sounds coming from the surrounding streets.
The film is a wild ride
through an amped up, paranoid, gun-filled American West and while entertaining
and well done (one expects no less from a movie that lists Jason Blum as a
producer) the resemblance to current events is just too stark to ignore.
The Forever Purge opens Friday, July 2nd, from
Universal Pictures.